Method and device for the classfication and cosmetic treatment of wrinkles

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a method for visuallly determining and classifying the degree of facial wrikledness of the human skin, allowing a cosmetic treatment proportional to the degree of wrinkledness observed. The present invention also relates to a device ( 1 ), similar to a slide ruler, which allows a simple and accurate identification and classifation of the degree of facial wrinkledness and the immediate association with a cosmetic treatment appropriate for the degree of wrinkledness observed.

The present invention relates to a method for the classification andcosmetic treatment of wrinkles.

In particular, the present invention relates to a method for determiningand visually classifying the degree of wrinkledness of the human skin,allowing a cosmetic treatment appropriate for the degree of wrinklednessdetermined.

It is known that the aging of the skin is accompanied by the appearanceof wrinkles, a kind of facial wrinkling which can apply to both thesurface layers of the skin and also deeper layers, including the derma.

The origin of wrinkles is a complex phenomenon which can only partly beattributed to the age of the individuals. Various factors can in factinfluence the formation of wrinkles, ranging from the general state ofhealth to genetic predisposition, exposure to external agents harmfulfor the skin, so-called free radical generators.

It is known in fact that the skin is subject to an aging process whoseprecociousness is in direct relation to the exposure of the skin toaggressive external agents such as smog, frequent temperature changes,sunlight, ultraviolet rays of sun lamps, etc.

The presence of all these variables in skin aging processes and in theformation of wrinkles, makes it difficult to apply a correct cosmetictherapy only on the basis of the age of the person to be treated.

In spite of this, current anti-wrinkle cosmetic treatment is almostexclusively based on the age of the patient and does not therefore takedue account of the other variables and effective degree of wrinklednessof the face to be treated.

Manufacturers of cosmetic products, in fact, sell anti-aging creams withincreasing compositions of active principles only in relation to the ageof the patient.

It has also been verified that a significant percentage of users tend topurchase anti-wrinkle products of the same line with the highestconcentrations of active principles in the hope that they are moreeffective than those with a low concentration of active principles.

This behaviour however has its disadvantages of use and can also causethe appearance of side-effects on the skin.

The appearance of these local side-effects is much more probable andsignificant, from a dermatological point of view, when cosmetic creamscontaining high dosages of active principles with an exfoliating action(peeling effect), are inappropriately used.

In particular, it has been found that the use of creams based on activeprinciples with an exfoliating/regenerating activity such as glycolicacid (fruit acids) or derivatives of vitamin A, at dosages notadequately proportional to the degree of wrinkledness to be treated, cangive rise to localized burning, skin inflammations or excessive skindryness.

In other words, owing to the difficulties so far observed in determininga correct and adequate treatment dosage, there is the risk of creatingfurther damage to the skin tissues already subjected to aging processes.

The necessity is therefore felt for finding a method for classifying inadvance the degree of individual skin aging or degree of face wrinkling,to enable an anti-wrinkle cosmetic treatment to be subsequently applied,in line with the degree of face wrinkledness determined.

One of the main objectives of the present invention consists inproviding a method for the classification and cosmetic treatment ofwrinkles which is reliable and substantially avoids or limits theappearance of the drawbacks observed in the known art.

Another objective of the present invention consists in providing asimple and immediate method for determining the degree of facialwrinkledness reached to allow a cosmetic therapy against skin aging tobe defined.

Yet another objective consists in providing a method and device whichenables a reliable and accurate self-assessment to be made of the degreeof facial wrinkledness at low costs for the individual user.

These and other objectives which will be described in more detailhereunder, are achieved, according to a first aspect of the invention,by a device for classifying the degree of facial wrinkledness,comprising a supporting element on which photographic images orreproductions are arranged, portraying face wrinkling or wrinkles ofvarying depths, each of said photographic images or reproductions beingassociated with an anti-wrinkle product having a cosmetic anti-wrinkleactivity in proportion to the degree of wrinkledness portrayed orreproduced in said images.

In the context of the present invention, the device of the invention isdefined as a wrinkle classifying device as it allows wrinkles to beclassified according to a wrinkledness scale.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method isprovided for the classification and cosmetic treatment of wrinkles orface wrinkling, which comprises:

-   -   a preliminary visual observation phase of the wrinkles or face        wrinkling of an individual,    -   subsequent visual comparison with a wrinkledness scale        comprising a series of photographic images or reproductions        arranged in increasing order of wrinkledness on a supporting        structure, to determine the degree of wrinkledness closest to        that observed for said individual,    -   association of the degree of wrinkledness determined in the        previous phases with a cosmetic product having an anti-wrinkle        activity proportional to the degree of wrinkledness determined        in the previous phase,    -   application of a cosmetically effective quantity of said        cosmetic product on the areas of the face subject to wrinkles.

The cosmetic method of the invention not only enables the classificationof face wrinkles for the user, but also a simple association with acosmetic product having an anti-wrinkle or anti-aging activityspecifically studied for treating the degree of wrinkledness identifiedby the individual.

In the method of the invention, cosmetic preparations with increasingcontents of active principles having an anti-wrinkle or anti-agingaction are associated with greater degrees of extension and depth offace wrinkling.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the method of theinvention, the product RUGASTIR produced by LABO, under the Swisstrade-mark license of Cosprophar Labo, is used as cosmetic product withan anti-wrinkle action.

In the wrinkle classifier of the invention, six female human facesaffected by increasing degrees of wrinkledness are preferably portrayedin the photographic images.

The images illustrate faces of individuals in which the firstcorresponds to a first degree of wrinkledness distinguished by initialand slight wrinkles, a second degree with moderate and fine wrinkles, athird degree with widely-spread, medium wrinkles, a fourth degree withmedium/deep wrinkles, a fifth with abundant, deep wrinkles and a sixthdegree marked by numerous and very deep wrinkles.

The use of four RUGASTIR products incorporating increasing quantities ofanti-wrinkle active principle, with 2.5; 3.5; 4.5; 5.5 mg/g of activeprinciple respectively, is preferably associated with the four degreesof wrinkledness. The active principle advantageously consists of abiological reactor RB 160.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be moreevident from the description of a classification device of the degree ofwrinkledness of a human face, illustrated in the enclosed drawings andprovided for indicative and non-limiting purposes, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view from above of the classification device ofwrinkles,

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of the device illustrated in FIG. 1.

With reference to the above figures, the classification device ofwrinkledness comprises a supporting element on which photographic imagesor reproductions are arranged, on an increasing scale, portraying facesof people subject to the presence skin wrinkles of increasing gravity,starting from simple initial wrinkles of a slight degree to extremelynumerous and deep wrinkles.

In particular, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the supporting element,indicated with reference number 1, comprises a rectangular-shapedelement, advantageously made of Plexiglas, on which photographic images2-7, side by side and portraying increasing degrees of wrinkledness, arearranged on a supporting sheet 9.

A cosmetic product (3′-6′) having an anti-wrinkle activity appropriatefor the degree of wrinkledness of the image above, corresponds to eachof four reproductions or images (3-6), univocally, for example in aposition below said image. An increasing classification is thusobtained, of the degree of wrinkledness, starting from the image 2 andending with the image portrayed with number 7. Compositions with anincreasing anti-wrinkle activity or with increasing dosages of activeprinciple correspond to four degrees of wrinkledness out of the sixillustrated and consequently four images (3-6).

The device of the invention also advantageously comprises a slidingcursor 8, preferably equipped with a display window 11, situated on saidsupporting element 1. The cursor 8 slides horizontally along saidsupporting element 1 allowing a particular image (5 in FIG. 1) to beaccurately identified, with which an anti-wrinkle cosmetic product (51in FIG. 1), having an anti-wrinkle activity appropriate for the degreeof wrinkledness illustrated in image 5, is associated. The positioningof the cursor 8 on the image 5 thus allows the degree of wrinkledness ofthe face portrayed to be classified and the most suitable cosmetictreatment determined.

FIG. 2 illustrates a transversal section of the device of the inventionalong the line II-II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 illustrates the cursor 8 which moves along the supportingstructure 1 inside which there is a supporting sheet 9 on which theimages 2-7 of FIG. 1 are arranged.

The cursor 8 is equipped with a window 11 to facilitate a correct andaccurate positioning of the images 2-7 (not shown). The cursor 8 isconstrained at one end to the supporting structure 1, and is secured bymeans of a screw 12 associated with a nut 13.

The device according to the invention fully satisfies thepre-established objectives, as it allows an accurate classification tobe made of the degree of facial wrinkledness and the consequent univocalassociation with a cosmetic product having a composition specificallyappropriate for the wrinkledness observed.

There are a wide variety of embodiments of the wrinkle classificationdevice of the invention, one of these being illustrated in the encloseddrawings.

In practice, the materials used, and also the dimensions, provided theyare compatible with the specific use described, can vary widelyaccording to the specific demands.

1. Method for the classification and cosmetic treatment of wrinkles orface wrinkling, comprising: a preliminary visual observation phase ofthe wrinkles or face wrinkling of an individual, subsequent visualcomparison with a wrinkledness scale comprising a series of photographicimages or reproductions arranged in increasing order of wrinkledness ona supporting structure, to determine the degree of wrinkledness closestto that observed for said individual, association of the degree ofwrinkledness determined in the previous phases with a cosmetic producthaving an anti-wrinkle activity proportional to the degree ofwrinkledness determined in the previous phase, application of acosmetically effective quantity of said cosmetic product on the areas ofthe face subject to wrinkles.
 2. The method according to claim 1,wherein said wrinkledness scale comprises six degrees of facialwrinkledness.
 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein an image of ahuman face with initial and slight wrinkles corresponds to a firstdegree of wrinkledness, an image of a face with moderate and finewrinkles corresponds to a second degree, a face with widely-spread,medium wrinkles corresponds to a third degree, a face with medium/deepwrinkles corresponds to a fourth degree, a face with abundant, deepwrinkles corresponds to a fifth degree and a face with numerous and verydeep wrinkles corresponds to a sixth degree.
 4. The method according toone or more of the previous claims 13, wherein said cosmetic productcomprises an skin anti-wrinkle or anti-aging active principle inincreasing quantities and proportional to the degree of wrinklednessobserved and classified.
 5. The method according to one or more of theprevious claims wherein said cosmetic product is RUGASTIR.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 5, wherein the local application of RUGASTIR 2.5 isassociated with the second degree of wrinkledness; the application ofRUGASTIR 3.5 with the third degree of wrinkledness; the application ofRUGASTIR 4.5 with the fourth degree of wrinkledness and the applicationof RUGASTIR 5.5 with the fifth degree of wrinkledness.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 6 wherein said RUGASTIR incorporates a biologicalreactor RB160 with an anti-wrinkle and anti-aging activity of the skin.8. The method according to one or more of the previous claims comprisingthe local application of a cosmetically effective quantity of saidcosmetic product once or several times a day.
 9. A device forclassifying the degree of facial wrinkledness, comprising a supportingelement on which photographic images or reproductions are arranged,which portray face wrinkling or wrinkles of varying depths, each of saidphotographic images or reproductions being associated with a producthaving an anti-wrinkle or anti-aging activity of the skin appropriatefor the degree of wrinkledness illustrated or reproduced.
 10. The deviceaccording to claim 9, wherein said supporting element is substantiallyrectangular-shaped, with said photographic images or reproductionsarranged side by side.
 11. The device according to claim 9 or 10,comprising a sliding cursor which moves along said supporting element todetermine the photograph image or reproduction which is closest to thedegree of face wrinkledness of the person to be treated.
 12. The deviceaccording to one or more of claims 9-11 characterized in that it is madeof transparent plastic material or glass.
 13. The device according toclaim 9, wherein said supporting element consists of a discoidal elementon which said photographic images or reproductions are circumferentiallyarranged and the cosmetic products associated with each of said imagesare radially arranged.